DREAM ISLAND: Phú Quốc leads the list of favoured destinations in the run-up to Tết holiday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam's tourism industry is seeing strong early-year momentum ahead of the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday in mid-February this year, as a nine-day break announced well in advance encourages domestic travellers to plan earlier and drives robust demand for both domestic and outbound tours, industry executives and tour operators said.

The extended holiday has allowed Vietnamese travellers to take greater control over trip planning, favouring flexible itineraries and customised flight-and-hotel packages, while many outbound tours, particularly to traditional destinations within Asia, have already sold out weeks ahead of the holiday.

Tourism businesses say the buoyant Year of the Horse travel season is providing an important confidence boost for the sector as it enters 2026, following several years of an uneven recovery.

Demand builds early

Around three weeks before the Lunar New Year, domestic travel demand has picked up sharply, according to search data from online booking platforms and social media.

Vietnamese travellers are focusing on destinations with pleasant weather, well-developed tourism infrastructure and suitability for family holidays.

In the run-up to Tết, beach and leisure destinations such as Phú Quốc, Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang, Hồ Chí Minh City and Đà Lạt have led search rankings pre-Tết. Notably, the southern island of Côn Đảo, while less developed, has attracted growing interest this year for its quiet atmosphere and cultural and spiritual appeal.

During the Tết holiday itself, other established destinations including Nha Trang, Phan Thiết, Sa Pa, Mộc Châu and Hạ Long Bay are also expected to see heavy visitor traffic.

After the holiday, demand is shifting towards lighter trips centred on cultural and spiritual experiences. Hà Nội, Ninh Bình, Bắc Ninh, Đà Lạt, Nha Trang and Vũng Tàu have seen rising interest due to a series of early-year festivals, while Đà Nẵng, Phú Quốc and Hồ Chí Minh City continue to hold their pulls.

According to Phạm Thị Ánh Nguyệt, director of SeA Travel based in Hà Nội, current domestic tourism trends clearly reflect travellers’ growing autonomy in choosing itineraries that match personal needs and suitable timing.

Many package tours have already sold out early. However, given the habit of booking trips close to departure dates and the growing preference for independent travel, Nguyệt forecasts that over the next one to two weeks, bookings for transport-and-accommodation packages will rise sharply.

Demand is expected to concentrate on northern destinations such as Sa Pa, Hạ Long, Ninh Bình, Lào Cai, Sơn La and Tuyên Quang, while remaining strong at beach and resort hubs such as Nha Trang, Phú Quốc and Đà Lạt.

According to Nguyễn Văn Tứ, sales director of Hava Travel’s Hà Nội branch, tours linking Hà Nội with Ninh Bình, Hạ Long and Sa Pa, lasting three to five days and priced at VNĐ3.5–5.5 million (US$130–210) per person, have been particularly popular. These products are suited to international visitors already staying in Việt Nam, as well as corporate groups, families and groups of friends.

Meanwhile, tours to Đà Nẵng, Huế and Hội An, lasting four days and three nights and costing around VNĐ4 million per person, have also recorded stable demand thanks to compact itineraries and reasonable prices.

Đà Lạt continues to be among the most favoured domestic destinations for Tết 2026.—VNA/VNS Photo

To meet demand for spring outings combined with early-year pilgrimages, Hava Travel has developed one-day spiritual tours priced below VNĐ1 million per person, departing from Hà Nội to northern destinations in Ninh Bình, starting from the second day of Tết.

A representative of Vietluxtour said the company’s demand for Tết 2026 travel had risen by around 15–20 per cent from a year earlier, though the market was not seeing major growth in volume but rather a shift towards higher-quality offerings.

Vietluxtour had therefore significantly restructured its Tết tour products, reducing travel intensity, removing compulsory shopping stops, increasing free time for travellers and expanding cultural Tết experiences such as lucky money traditions, spring fortune-picking and New Year’s Eve banquets, with a focus on overall experience value.

At present, the company’s air tours to Hà Nội and Đà Nẵng are fully booked, with only some overland tours to Đà Lạt, Phan Thiết, Nha Trang and provinces in the Mekong Delta still available, according to the representative.

Outbound demand surges

For outbound tourism, the long holiday has fuelled strong demand for tours to Asia, with China standing out thanks to its diversity of destinations, flexible durations, and competitive costs.

In the budget segment, short trips to Nanning, Guilin and Yangshuo, lasting two to four days and costing VNĐ3.5–7 million ($130–260) per person, are well suited to individual travellers or families seeking a light Tết break.

In contrast, the mid- and high-end segments focus on direct-flight tours with longer itineraries and full services. Five- to seven-day journeys covering Yunnan to Kunming, Lijiang and Shangri-La; Beijing to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou; and Chongqing to Jiuzhaigou, priced at VNĐ15–30 million ($575–1,150) per person, offer diverse experiences of culture, history and modern life.

Trương Thị Thanh Bình, director of Fiditour’s Hà Nội branch, said China tours during this year’s Tết holiday were designed with greater flexibility. Some tours departing before Tết or from the second day of the break, using charter flights, sold out as early as December, while additional programmes were quickly taken up by the market. This underscored continued strong Tết travel demand, particularly in the mid- and high-end segments, as travellers plan earlier and are more willing to pay for quality experiences.

Nguyễn Hữu Cường, chief executive of Tràng An Travel, said the company was operating more than 20 China tour itineraries for Tết this year, with tours to major cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou departing on the first and second days of Tết already fully booked

At BestPrice Travel, bookings for China tours have risen by around 25–30 per cent from a year earlier, focusing on itineraries combining cultural experiences and Tết festivals.

Japan and South Korea still remain favourite choices for the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday. Japan continues to attract travellers with winter tours such as snow viewing, hot spring bathing and early-year temple visits in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hokkaido.

These five- to seven-day tours, priced above VNĐ30 million per person, cater mainly to mid- and high-end customers. South Korea remains popular with younger travellers thanks to its proximity and lower costs of VNĐ16–20 million per person, with destinations such as Seoul, Nami island and Everland often combined with skiing experiences.

Tour operators note that group visa procedures for China, Japan and South Korea have become more convenient, with lower costs and high approval rates. Combined with favourable exchange rates, this has encouraged travellers to choose itineraries that blend sightseeing, shopping and culinary experiences, enhancing trip value during Tết.

Trần Tuấn Huy, head of marketing at Hà Nội-based Hanoitourist, cautioned that amid the wide range of options, travellers should consider overall tour quality rather than comparing prices alone.

Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia are also favoured familiar choices due to visa-free entry, short distances, dense flight networks, and brief tour durations.

The buoyant Tết 2026 travel market reflects growing demand for rest and early-year experiences, signalling rising consumer confidence in the economic outlook and providing a foundation for Việt Nam's tourism sector to enter the new year with expectations of sustainable recovery and longer-term growth. — VNS